Examination light apparatus with touch-less control

ABSTRACT

An examination light apparatus including a touch-less control component that enables a user to control the apparatus without requiring physical contact between the user and the apparatus. The apparatus employs an LED control component that is configured to adapt its electrical interface to a variable quantity of light emitting diodes in order to interface with each of a plurality of lamp heads that each can include a unique arrangement and quantity of light emitting diodes. The light emitting diodes (LEDs) provide a high level of light quality, quantity and intensity (luminosity) while requiring low power consumption and low space and weight requirements and are employed without requiring a cooling fan. Uniform mechanical and electrical interfaces between the control component and other portions of the examination lamp provide for efficient and simple manufacturing of various examination light configurations.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a divisional application of, and claimspriority and benefit to, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/057,310 filed on Feb. 3, 2011, and entitled “Examination LightApparatus with Touch-Less Control”, which is the National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2009/053161, filed Aug. 7, 2009,which claims priority and benefit to, U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 61/087,385 that was filed on Aug. 8, 2008 andentitled “Examination Light Apparatus with Touch-less Control”, and alsoclaims priority and benefit to U.S. provisional patent application Ser.No. 61/188,396 that was filed on Aug. 8, 2008 and also entitled“Examination Light Apparatus with Touch-less Control”. All of theaforementioned patent applications patents are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an examination light apparatusincluding a contamination evasive and touch-less control component thatenables a user to control the apparatus without requiring physicalcontact between the user and the apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of types of examination lamps are employed to direct lighttowards an target of interest, such as towards a patient within a healthcare facility. Examination lamps are typically designed to generatelight of a higher intensity (luminosity) than that of general lighting,which typically employs an incandescent light source. Historically, manyexamination lamps have employed halogen or xenon bulbs to generate lightof higher intensity (luminosity) than that of a incandescent source.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides for an examination light apparatus that isconfigured to be contamination evasive, scalable and portable andespecially suited for employment within a health care environment, suchas an environment where close up patient examination and surgery isperformed. In this environment, hands of health care personnel, whetheror not gloves are being worn, typically carry various forms ofbiological and/or chemical contamination. The contamination evasivefeatures of the invention include a touch-less control component thatenables a user, such as a health care practitioner, to control theapparatus without requiring physical contact between the user and theapparatus. The control component is further configured to include nomoving parts and to include a smooth and non-porous outer surface thatforms an effective bather between inner portions of the lamp controlcomponent and contamination that could be deposited onto the lampcontrol component via physical contact between a user and the lampcontrol component. The outer surface is designed to be easily andeffectively cleaned (wiped) of deposited contamination.

The scalability features of the invention include employment of avariable number (quantity) of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that providea high level of light quality (homogeneous uniformity), quantity andintensity (luminosity) while requiring low power consumption and compactspace and weight requirements. The apparatus further includes an LEDcontrol component that provides an electrical interface to control andsupply electrical power to the variable quantity of LEDs. The LEDcontrol component is configured to adapt its electrical interface to avariable quantity of light emitting diodes in order to interface witheach of a plurality of lamp heads that each can include a uniquearrangement and quantity of light emitting diodes. Uniform mechanicaland electrical interfaces between the control component and otherportions of the examination lamp provide for efficient and simplemanufacturing of various examination light configurations. The foregoingas well as other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of theinvention will become more apparent from the following description andfrom the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the invention can be better understood withreference to the claims and drawings described below. The drawings arenot necessarily to scale; the emphasis is instead generally being placedupon illustrating the principles of the invention. Within the drawings,like reference numbers are used to indicate like parts throughout thevarious views. Differences between like parts may cause those like partsto be each indicated by different reference numbers. Unlike parts areindicated by different reference numbers.

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate two embodiments of a floor standing examinationlamp apparatus.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate a perspective views of a plurality of lamp headsthat are incorporated into the examination lamp apparatus.

FIGS. 2C-2H illustrate views of embodiments of an illumination modulethat is disposed within each of the lamp heads.

FIGS. 3A-3E illustrate views of an embodiment of a touch-less andcontamination evasive control component.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the capacitance sensors and acapacitance shield located inside of the control component.

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified conceptual diagram of electricalcircuitry residing within the contamination evasive control component.

FIGS. 6A-6C each illustrate a set of capacitance count values that areobtained in association with each of the capacitance sensors during acapacitance sampling cycle.

FIG. 7 illustrates a conceptual diagram of the operation of softwarethat executes within the sensor activation detector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate two embodiments of a floor standing examinationlamp apparatus. FIG. 1A illustrates an embodiment of a floor standingexamination lamp apparatus 110 including a gooseneck support arm 114 a.As shown, the apparatus 110 includes a lamp head 112 a, an upper support114 a, a lamp control component 116, a lower support 118 and a basesupport 120. A body portion 122 a of the assembly 110, also referred toas a lamp body 122 or body 122, is a portion of the assembly 110 that isrequired to physically support (secure) the position of the lamp head112 a. The base support 120 includes a plurality of wheels and isconfigured to enable the assembly 110 to be rolled along a floor tovarious locations. The assembly also includes a connection to anelectrical wall outlet (not shown).

In this embodiment, the body portion 122 a includes the upper support114 a, the lamp control component 116, the lower support 118 and thebase support 120 of the assembly 110. Because this is a floor standingembodiment, a base support 120 is required as a portion of the body 122a to make contact with a floor surface. Other embodiments, includingsuch as a wall mounted embodiment (not shown) of the examination lampassembly, do not require a base support 120.

In other embodiments, the body portion 122 a alternatively includes astationary base without wheels (not shown), instead of a base 120including wheels, as shown. In this embodiment, the control component116 is included within the body 122 a and is required to physicallysupport (secure) the position of the lamp head 112 a. In otherembodiments, the control component 116, also referred to as a controlbox 116, is attached to but is not included within the body 122 a, andis not required to physically support (secure) the position of the lamphead 112 a. In these other embodiments, if the control component 116were removed, the structure that is required to physically support(secure) the position of the lamp head 112 a, namely the body 122 a,would remain intact, despite the absence of the control component 116.

In the embodiment shown, the lamp head 112 a includes a plurality of (3)light emitting diodes (LEDs) (See FIG. 2A) that generate light that isdirected onto a target, such as a health care patient (not shown). Asshown, the upper support 114 a, is implemented as a gooseneck supportarm 114 a, also referred to as a gooseneck 114 a, that is configured toenable a user to hand position and set a direction for the lamp head 112a. The lamp control component 116 provides a means for a user to controlthe operation of the lamp 110.

FIG. 1B illustrates a second embodiment of a floor standing examinationlamp apparatus 110 including a pivot arm upper support 114 b. Like theapparatus 110 of FIG. 1A, this embodiment includes a lamp head 112 b, anupper support 114 b, a body portion 122 b, a lamp control component 116,a lower support 118 and a base support 120. The assembly also includes aconnection to an electrical wall outlet (not shown). Unlike theapparatus 110 of FIG. 1B, the upper support 114 b is a pivot arm type ofupper support 114 b that is configured to bend at a pivoting joint 115.In this embodiment, the lamp head 112 b includes a plurality of (5)light emitting diodes (LEDs) (See FIG. 2C). The lamp head 112 b haslarger dimensions than that of the lamp head 112 a and provides adifferent spatial arrangement of the plurality of LEDs that are disposedwithin it.

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate at least one perspective view of each of aplurality of differently designed lamp heads 112 a-112 d. Each of theselamp heads 112 a-112 d are incorporated into at least one embodiment ofthe examination lamp apparatus 110. Each lamp head 112 a-112 dincorporates at least one light emitting diode (LED) and opticalcomponents that transform light emitted by the at least one LED into aform that is beneficial for medical use.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a perspective view 200 of each of the lamp heads112 a-112 d is shown. The lamp head 112 a, is incorporated into a model(LS-150) of the apparatus 110, and is shown in addition to otherperspectives shown in FIGS. 1A and 2B. The lamp head 112 b, isincorporated into a model (LS-200) of the apparatus 110, and is shownfrom a closer perspective as compared to the perspective shown in FIG.1B. The lamp head 112 c, includes one LED, and is incorporated into amodel (LS-135) of the apparatus 110. The lamp head 112 d, includes oneLED, and is incorporated into a model (Examlight 4) of the apparatus110.

The lamp head 112 b, includes (5) LEDs and is designed to project thelargest amount of light among the lamp heads 112 a-112 d shown here. Thelamp head 112 a includes (3) LEDs and is designed to project the secondlargest amount of light among the lamp heads 112 a-112 d shown here. Thelamp head 112 c includes (1) LED and is designed to project the thirdlargest amount of light among the lamp heads 112 a-112 d shown here. Thelamp head 112 d includes (1) LED and is designed to project the leastamount of light, among the (4) lamp heads 112 a-112 d shown here.

The lamp head 112 d includes (1) LED and is designed to be suppliedelectrical power from a universal serial bus (USB) power supply. Theuniversal serial bus (USB) power supply provides 5 watts of electricalpower at 5 volts and 1 amp. The (1) LED disposed within the lamp 112 doperates at 0.8 amps of current, which approximately one-half of itsfull operating capability of the LED, and as a result, this lamp 112 dprojects light at approximately one-half of the full intensity of theLED.

FIG. 2B illustrates two perspective views 210 of the lamp head 112 a.The lamp head 112 a is connected to the upper support 114 a. In theembodiment shown, the lamp head 112 a includes (3) light emitting diodes(LEDs) that are each included within an illumination module 226 a-226 cthat are each encapsulated within a lamp head chassis 220 and that eachproject light out of and through a circular marked surface area 226a-226 c. Reference to each illumination module 226 a-226 c can alsorefer to an LED 226 a-226 c disposed within each respective illuminationmodule. Each circular marked surface area 226 a-226 c represents alocation of a light projecting lens included within each of theillumination modules 226 a-226 c, each respectively including LEDs 226a-226 c.

The lamp head 112 a includes an outer surface (chassis) 220 thatincludes an upper surface 220 a and a lower surface 220 b and a handle222. The upper surface 220 a of the lamp head 112 a includes a series ofparallel heat vents 224 which function as a passageway for heat,generated by the (3) LEDS 226 a-226 c that are located within (internalto) the chassis 220. The heat vents 224 are configured to transfer heataway from the lamp head 112 a, in order to limit the operatingtemperature of the lamp head 112 a. The lower surface of the 220 b ofthe lamp head 112 a includes circular marked surface areas 226 a-226 cdescribed above, that are disposed into a triangular arrangement 226a-226 c and that each project light from each of the (3) LEDs 226 a-226c that are included within the lamp head 112 a.

In the embodiment shown, the lamp head 112 a is electrically andmechanically connected to the upper support (gooseneck) 114 a. The uppersupport (gooseneck) 114 a includes an outer surface that is made from anon porous and smooth polymer material and an inner metallic core. Theinner metallic core is configured (designed) to be bent and directedinto various stationary positions via hand manipulation of the user. Theouter surface is configured (designed) so that it can be easily wipedclean of contamination, via a hand held cloth, for example.

The metallic core (not shown) of the upper support 114 a also includeselectrical conductors (wires) (not shown) which supply electrical powerto the light emitting diodes (LEDs) 226 a-226 c that are disposed withinthe light head 112. These wires are electrically connected to a circuitboard that is located within the control box 116 and form a portion of acircuit that is further described in FIG. 5.

FIG. 2C illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an illuminationmodule 230 that is disposed in quantities of one or more within eachlamp head 112 a-112 d. The illumination module 230 includes a white LED232 and a compact arrangement of optical components that arecollectively enclosed within a heat sink 242. The illumination module230 is shown in the context of the lamp head 112 a. As shown here, theillumination module 230 includes a projection lens 240 that is disposedadjacent to the lower surface 220 b of the lamp head 112 a. It is theprojection lens 240 of the illumination module 230 that is indicated bythe circular markings 226 a-226 c shown in FIG. 2B.

To perform favorably within a medical (health care) environment, theillumination module 260, that is disposed inside of a lamp head 112a-112 d, is designed to project a beam of light having certain desirablecharacteristics. In this embodiment, the illumination module isconfigured to project a beam of light forming a light spot, onto asurface that is substantially perpendicular to the beam of light, at aworking distance of about 50 centimeters from the lamp head 112 a-112 d.

Within this environment, the light spot is expected to have asubstantially circular (non-elongated) shape and expected to have a sizewith a diameter of between approximately 5-8 inches. Further, theprojected light spot is to be of a uniform light intensity that is at orabove a minimal acceptable light intensity and that is free of cosmeticdefects such as splay lines, scratches, digs, bubbles and other similarartifacts. A projected light spot that is of uniform intensity and thatis free of defects, is also referred to as being of a homogeneousquality.

As shown, a light emitting diode (LED) 232 emits a beam of light at awide angle, approximating a 160 degree angle. The optical components234-240 are configured to transform the beam of light that is emitted bythe LED 232, prior to the beam of light being projected from the lamphead 112 a-112 d. Without this transformation, the beam of light that isprojected from the lamp head 112 a-112 d could not meet the desirablecharacteristics that are described above.

A molded injector lens 234 is disposed at the output of the LED 232 andis configured to collect and direct the light projected from the LED 232into a cone concentrator 236. The molded injector lens 234 has an inputside that is positioned and dimensioned so that substantially all of thelight emitted by the LED 232 is collected, and directed by the moldedinjector lens 234 into the cone concentrator 236. Without the moldedinjector lens 234, a substantial portion of the light that is emitted bythe LED 232 would miss (not be received by) the projection lens 240.

The cone concentrator 236 is disposed at an exit face in contact withthe molded injector lens 234 and is configured (designed) to collect anddirect light passing through the molded injector lens 234. The coneconcentrator 236 is configured to concentrate and direct light towardsand through a holographic diffuser 238 and through an projection lens240. The exit face of the molded injector lens 234 is in focus at theplane of the projected spot.

The cone concentrator 236 causes imaging not at the output (exit face)of the molded injector lens 234, but instead offsets the exit face to alocation within the cone concentrator 236, that is axially separatedfrom the exit face of the molded injector lens 234, so that light thatis projected (imaged) from the illumination module is out of focus,causing cosmetic defects within the light path to be projected out offocus. Hence, the cone concentrator 236 is configured (designed) toconcentrate light passing through it and configured to remove defectsfrom the light that is passing through it.

In this embodiment, the cone concentrator 236 is manufactured byWelch-Allyn and it is made from aluminum that is shaped to form a conictunnel having a polished reflective interior surface 236 a. The lightbeam exiting molded injection lens 234 reflects off of the interiorsurface 236 a.

Without the cone concentrator 236, the light beam would pass through theholographic diffuser 238 b and would become overly attenuated andoverspread in intensity and not be entirely received by the projectionlens 240. To address this issue, the cone concentrator 236 shrinks(reduces) the beam diameter before it passes through the diffuser 238,so that the light beam exiting the diffuser 238, is not overlyattenuated and overspread before received (collected by) the projectionlens 240. A beam of light that is overly attenuated and overspread willnot be entirely collected by the projection lens 240, and as a result, asubstantial portion of the beam of light will be lost, causing theprojected light spot too become too dim for desirable use.

The diffuser 238 is employed to cause cosmetic defects within the lightpath, such as splay lines, scratches, digs, bubbles and other artifactsto be diffused and brought out of focus to enable the projected spot tobe more homogeneous and uniform in intensity. Defects within the lightpath are caused by the inherent structure within the surface of the LED232 or other components 232-240 within the optical train.

Without employing a diffuser 238, the defects would remain in the beamof light that is projected by the illumination module 230 and the lamphead 112 a-112 d. Upon passing through the holographic diffuser 238, thelight beam next passes through a projection lens 240. The projectionlens 240 collects the incoming light and outputs a beam of light havingdimensions that form a light spot of approximately between 5-8 inchesonto a substantially perpendicular surface at a working distance ofapproximately 50 centimeters. As a result, a light beam of desiredcharacteristics is projected from the illumination module 230 and thelamp head 112 a-112 in an efficient manner, and more specifically in amanner with an insubstantial loss of light.

Without employing the projection lens 240, the beam of light that isprojected by the illumination module would not be properly dimensionedto produce a light spot of desired size and a working distance of 50centimeters. In some embodiments, such as with the lamp head 112 d, thedistance between the LED 232 and the projection lens 240 is adjustableso that the dimensions of the light beam that is projected from theillumination module 230 and the lamp head 112 a-112 d, iscorrespondingly adjustable. As shown, the projection lens 240 isdisposed adjacent to the lower surface 220 b of the lamp head 112 a. Itis the projection lens 240 that is indicated by circular markings 226a-226 c shown in FIG. 2B.

The heat sink 242 has a shape of a cup having an interior (core portion)that is surrounded by a base wall 246 (inside shown) including nocooling slots and surrounded by a perimeter wall 244. The perimeter wallis structured like a fence that includes metal fins and cooling slots(air gaps) located in between the metal fins. Within the prior art, theheat sink is typically employed in such a manner where the source ofheat (in this circumstance, LED 232) is disposed outside of the interiorof the cup (core) portion of the heat sink 242 and adjacent to the outerside (not shown) of the base wall 246. When the source of heat isdisposed outside and adjacent to the cup portion of the heat sink 242,less heat is trapped within the interior heat sink 242 and performanceof the heat sink is enhanced. For reasons explained below, the prior artheat transfer enhanced configuration is contrary to how the heat sink242 is employed within in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the LED 232 is disposed adjacent to the inner sideof the base wall 246 within the core (“cup”) portion of the heat sink toreduce the space required to house the illumination module 230, and at adisadvantage of trapping more heat within the heat sink 242. Coolingslots (voids within the mounting plate 248) (Shown in FIG. 2D) aredesigned to counteract this disadvantage. The heat sink 242 isconfigured to transfer heat that is generated by the LED 232, into thelamp head 112 a-112 d and from the lamp head 112 a-112 d into theatmosphere. In this embodiment, space required for the LED 232 and theheat sink 242 and the illumination module 230 is substantially reducedas compared to where the source of heat (LED 232) is disposed outside ofthe interior (core) portion of the heat sink 242.

In this particular embodiment, the distance between the emitting side(exit face) of the LED 232 and the cone concentrator 236 isapproximately 15 millimeters, the diameter of the exiting image (exitface) of the molded injector lens 234 is about 7 millimeters, thediameter of the exiting image (exit face) of the concentrator cone 236is about 5 millimeters and the distance between the front end (exitface) of the concentrator cone 236 and the entrance to the projectinglens 240 is about 25 millimeters. The diameter of the projecting lens240 is about 25 millimeters. In this particular embodiment, theprojecting lens is an aspherical projecting lens. In other embodiments,non-aspherical lens can be employed.

In this particular embodiment, the LED 232 employed is Luxeon LXK2-PWC4white LED having a luminous flux of 200-220 lumens, energy consumptionof approximately 6 watts, a color temperature of 5000-5650 degreesKelvin and a forward voltage of 3.75 to 3.99 volts. The molded injectorlens 234 is supplied by the Fraen SRL corporation with part numberFFLI-07-LL-0. The diffuser 238 is a 5 degree holographic diffuser thatis supplied by the Luminit Inc. The projection lens is a GS-1007 modellens that is supplied by the Germanow-Simon company. The heat sink is amodel 500400B00000G heat sink that is supplied by the Aavid corporation.Similar components can be obtained from other manufacturers. Variationsof each of the above described optical components 234-240 can beemployed to yield the advantages of the invention. For example, themolded injector lens 234 can be supplied by a different manufacturer orcan be configured differently to achieve the same result of collectionand directing light into a concentrator cone 236.

FIG. 2D illustrates an upward cross-sectional view 250 of the heat sink242 of FIG. 2C and convection cooling slots 252 a-252 d (not shown inFIG. 2C). As shown, each of the sides 244 a-244 d of the perimeter wallof the heat sink 242 includes (4) fins that are each arranged in seriesalong a line. Each wall is arranged as one side of a square shapedperimeter surrounding the heat sink 242. A cone concentrator 236 isdisposed within the interior of the heat sink 242. From thiscross-sectional view 250, a profile of the cone concentrator 236 has acircular shape. An interior side of the base wall 246 of the heat sink242 is shown and is more distant from the viewer that the coneconcentrator 236. The base wall 246 is attached to a mounting plate 248.The mounting plate 248 is more distant from the viewer than the basewall 246.

The mounting plate 248 includes (4) convection cooling slots 252 a-252d. Each slot 252 a-252 d is implemented as a channel (void) within themounting plate 248 which functions as a passage way for air to flowthrough the mounting plate 248 to cool each of the fins within each ofthe walls 244 a-244 d of the heat sink 242. Each slot 252 a-252 d islocated and dimensioned to encompass each respective wall of fins 244a-244 d of the heat sink 242, with respect to the profile shown in thisview. These slots 252 a-252 d function to counter act the disadvantagecaused by disposing and attaching the heat generating LED 232 within theinterior side of the base plate 246, causing more heat to be disposed(trapped) within the interior of the heat sink 242.

The design shown results in a more compact arrangement of eachillumination module 230 without requiring a cooling fan. For example,lamp head 112 b, includes (5) LEDs that each consume about 6 watts ofpower. The above design allows for a compact arrangement of the (5) LEDsthat collectively generate 30 watts of power, without requiring activecooling via a cooling fan. Like wise, lamp head 112 a, includes (3) LEDsthat generate (18) watts of power, without requiring active cooling viaa cooling fan.

FIG. 2E illustrates a side cross-sectional view 260 of the concentratorcone 236 made of aluminum metal. As shown, the concentrator cone 236 isoriented to project light upwards to be consistent with thecross-sectional view 260 of FIG. 2D. Note that the cone concentrator 236is shown as projecting light downwards in FIG. 2C. The cone concentrator234 has a base diameter 256 equal to approximately 0.4 inches and alength equal to 0.187 inches. A shown, light enters the coneconcentrator 236 from its bottom side and exits from its top sidethrough a tunnel having highly polished interior surface 236 a. Anentrance 254 of the cone concentrator 236 has a diameter equal to 0.29inches. The exit 258 of the cone concentrator has a diameter equal to0.213 inches.

FIG. 2F illustrates a perspective view and a second side cross-sectionalview 270 of the illumination module 230. From the perspective view onthe left hand side of this figure, the light emitting surface of theprojection lens 240 and a portion of the inside of the base wall 246 isshown. Also from this perspective view, the fins of the side wall 244 ofthe heat sink are angled as shown. From the second side cross-sectionalview on the right hand side of this figure, the LED 232, the moldedinjector lens 234, the cone concentrator 236 and the projection lens 240are arranged like shown in FIG. 2C.

FIG. 2G illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of an alternativeembodiment 280 of the illumination module within the lamp head 112 d.Like the first embodiment 230 of the illumination module, thisalternative embodiment includes the LED 232, the injector lens 234 andthe cone concentrator 236. Unlike the first embodiment 230 of theillumination module, this alternative embodiment excludes theholographic diffuser 238 and the heat sink 242 of the first embodiment230 (shown in FIG. 2C), and instead includes an alternative heat sink282 and a first zoom lens 284 and a second zoom lens 286.

In this alternative embodiment, a distance 288 between the first zoomlens 284 and the second zoom lens 286 is adjustable via a rotatingsleeve (shown in FIG. 2H). The absence of a diffuser 238 causes thelight spot that is projected from this embodiment to have a sharp edge.Defects within the light path are removed via the cone concentrator 236in the same manner as described for the first embodiment 230 of theillumination module.

FIG. 2H illustrates a perspective view 290 of the lamp head 112 dincluding the alternative embodiment 280 of the illumination module. Asshown, the lamp head 116 d includes rotating sleeve 292. Movement(rotation) of the rotating sleeve 292 causes a change to (adjusts) adistance between the first zoom lens 282 and the second zoom lens 284 ofthe illumination module 280 of FIG. 2G. An adjustment to the distancebetween the first zoom lens 282 and the second zoom lens 284 causes thedimensions of the light spot projected by the lamp head 112 d to change.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate a side perspective view of embodiments of atouch-less control component. FIG. 3A illustrates a side perspectiveview of two embodiments of a “touch less” control component 116 a and116 b, which are collectively referred to using drawing reference number116. This control components 116 a-116 b, also each referred to as acontrol box 116 a-116 b, each enable a user to control the operation ofthe apparatus 110 without requiring physical contact between the userand the apparatus 110.

In this embodiment, each of the control boxes 116 a-116 b, include anouter surface 330 that is configured to provide a barrier between inner(below the outer surface) portions of the control box 116, andcontamination that could be deposited upon or within the control box 116a-116 b, via physical contact between a user and the control box 116a-116 b, whether or not the user is wearing gloves.

The outer surface 330 is preferably manufactured from a material that isfree of surface pockets and that is impermeable to ingress ofparticulate or liquid matter, such that it forms an effective sealbetween the outside surface 330 and the internals of the control box 116a-116 b. The term “free of surface pockets” refers to an absence ofcavities that are visible to the human eye and an absence of cavitiesthat are each dimensioned to collect a deposit of particulate or liquidcontamination that would resist removal from the cavities viaapplication of a wipe cloth, for example. In this embodiment, the outersurface 330 is made from a plastic that is referred to as “PC-ABS” whichis an acronym for polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Inother embodiments, the control box 116 a-116 b can be made from othernon-porous material, that can function as an effective seal ofcontamination.

The outer surface 330 has a topology that is configured to have a smoothand continuous contour that excludes surface discontinuities, such assmall cavities and crevasses, in order to accommodate fast and effectivesurface cleaning, such as surface cleaning obtained via wiping of theouter surface 330 using a hand held cloth. Small cavities (pockets),crevasses and surface discontinuities can collect and trapcontamination, such as particulate or liquid contamination, that is noteasily removed via wiping of the surface via a hand held cloth.

As shown, the outer surface 330 of control box 116 a includes (3)markings 332-336 and the outer surface 330 of control box 116 b includes(1) marking 332 that each indicate a location of an associatedelectrical capacitance sensor (not shown), also referred to as acapacitance sensor or sensor, that is located below the outer surface330 and proximate to each respective sensor. Each electrical capacitancesensor functions as part of a control switch that can be activated by auser. One sensor is disposed (located) below the outer surface 330 andproximate to each of the markings 332-336. Each electrical capacitancesensor is configured (designed) to detect a source of capacitance, suchas capacitance associated with an appendage (finger) of the user, whenthat finger is located within a range of proximity from the electricalcapacitance sensor.

The result of activation of a capacitance sensor, referred to as anactivation event, is effectively like a result of an action associatedwith pressing a button or flipping a switch. Instead of making physicalcontact with a button or switch, the user gestures with an appendage,such as placing a finger within proximity of a marked area 332-336 onthe outer surface 330 of the control box 116. A set of electronics (notshown), including an associated sensor, that are disposed within thecontrol box 116, are configured (designed) to detect such a gesture ofthe user.

Upon detection of an activation event, a predetermined action that isassociated with the marking 332-336 and its hidden sensor (not shown) isperformed. In some embodiments, an action that is associated with amarking 332-336 can be configured to be dynamic and be dependent upon acurrent state of operation of the examination light assembly.

The range of proximity for detection/activation with respect to thelocation of a finger of the user is configurable (adjustable) for eachsensor. In some embodiments, the range of detection of a sensor isconfigured to require a user to position a finger to make physicalcontact with (touch) the marking 332-336 associated with the sensor. Inother embodiments, the range of detection is configured to require auser to position a finger within a range of distance above of themarking 332-336 associated with the sensor, for a sufficient period oftime. The most proximate (nearest) portion of this range is referred toherein as near proximity and the least proximate (farthest) portion ofthis range is referred to herein as far proximity.

In this embodiment, for example, the range of detection for a particularsensor 332-336 is where a finger is located within 0.75 inches from theouter surface 330 of the control box 116. In this embodiment, the nearproximity of the range is less than 0.75 inches. To cause an activationevent, the finger resides in that location for a period of time ofapproximately 0.5 seconds. Hence, when a user positions a finger within0.75 inches away from a marking 332-336 for a period of time equal to0.5 seconds or longer, an associated sensor located below that marking332-336 and the electronics with in the control box detects the presenceof that finger, and optionally activates to perform a pre-determinedaction. Both of the above embodiments are classified as operating in a“near field” mode of capacitance, because a portion of the user's bodyis required to be near (within about (2-3) inches) from a sensor so thatthe user can unambiguously gesture (point to) a particular sensor thatis located among other sensors.

In another embodiment, the sensitivity of the sensor is raised so thatthe near proximity distance value of this range is within 1.0 inchesrelative to the outer surface 330 of the control component 116. In yetother embodiments, the sensitivity is further raised and the nearproximity is within 2.0 inches, or alternatively further raised so thatnear proximity is within 3.0 inches. Note that activation can occur atdistances farther than the near proximity distance, but there is a lowerlikelihood of this occurrence and there is no guarantee that it willhappen in any particular circumstance. The control component 116 isdesigned to detect an activation event with a substantially highlikelihood when a finger is positioned at less than or equal to the nearproximity distance value. Positioning a finger at farther distances areless likely to cause an activation event. The likelihood of activationis an inverse function of the distance between the finger and the outersurface 330 of the control component 116.

The following describes an operational embodiment of the examinationlight assembly 110 for the control box 116 a. In this embodiment, eachof the sensors associated with the markings 332-336 of the control box116 a are configured to perform the following actions upon activation.

By default, when electrical power is first supplied to the assembly 110by plugging its electrical connection into a wall outlet, the apparatus110 enters an initial operating state where no light is projected. Inthis operating state, activation of an OFF switch represented by marking332 performs no action, activation of a half light intensity switch 334represented by marking 334 causes the lamp head 112 to project light athalf intensity and activation of a full light intensity switchrepresented by marking 336 causes the lamp head 112 to project light atfull intensity.

In this control box 116 a embodiment, when the lamp head 112 isprojecting light, activation of an OFF switch represented by marking 332causes the lamp head 112 cease projecting light, activation of a halflight intensity switch 334 represented by marking 334 causes the lamphead 112 to project light at half intensity and activation of a fulllight intensity switch represented by marking 336 causes the lamp head112 to project light at full intensity.

For an embodiment including the control box 116 b, which includes the(1) marking 332. This marking 332 acts as an ON/OFF switch instead of anOFF switch. By default, when electrical power is first supplied to theassembly 110 by plugging its electrical connection into a wall outlet,the apparatus 110 enters an initial operating state where no light isprojected. In this operating state, activation of an ON/OFF switchrepresented by marking 332 causes the lamp head 112 to project light atsome default intensity.

In this control box 116 b embodiment, when the lamp head 112 isprojecting light, activation of the ON/OFF switch represented by marking332 causes the lamp head 112 cease projecting light. In this embodiment,the ON/OFF switch toggles between (2) states, namely projecting lightand not projecting light.

FIG. 3B illustrates a side perspective views of the “touch less” controlcomponent 116. As shown, the control box 116 has an upper connection 340a and a lower connection 340 b. Optionally, the lower connectionattached to a wall mounted support (not shown), instead of a lowersupport 118 of a floor standing apparatus 110 (See FIGS. 1A-1B).

Also shown is a translucent perspective view of the control box 116 aincluding sensors. As shown, each marking 332-336 drawn on the outersurface 300 of the control box 116 is associated with a sensor locatedinside of the control box 116 a.

FIG. 3C illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of the controlcomponent 116. A partial view of a front housing side and of a paintedinsert area 342 located on the front housing side is shown. The paintedinsert area 342 is recessed as part of the front housing side of theouter surface 330 of the control component 116, also referred to as thecontrol box 116. At least one marking 332-336 (shown in FIGS. 3A-3B) isdrawn into the painted insert area 342 (not shown here). A printedcircuit board (PCB) 344 is attached to capacitance sensors (Shown inFIG. 4) that reside inside of the outer surface 330 and eachrespectively proximate to the markings within the painted insert 342. Apower supply 348 and a power cable 348 a a also included within theinterior of the control box 116.

A metal frame 346 provides mechanical support and strength to thecontrol component 116. The metal frame 346 has a tubular shape that isconfigured (designed) to mechanically interface with the upper supportarm 114 and the lower support 118 so that the control component 116 canprovide mechanical support to the upper support arm 114 and lamp head112 (not shown) via its mechanical frame 346.

FIG. 3D illustrates a side perspective view of the a mechanicalinterface between the control component 116 and the upper support arm114. As shown, a lower portion 364 of the upper support arm 114 isconfigured (designed) to be inserted into an upper portion of thetubular metal frame 346. The lower portion 364 includes a (2 conductor)electrical connector to electrically attach (2) conductors 378 a of theupper support arm 114 (a portion of a lamp body 122) to (2) conductors378 b of the control box 116, in order to electrically attach the uppersupport arm 114 to the control box 116 and to form an electrical circuitbetween the control box 116 and the lamp head 112 that is electricallyattached to the upper support arm 114 via the (2) conductors.

The lower portion 364 also includes a indented slot 366 and the controlbox 116 includes a passageway 368 for a screw (not shown), also referredto as a grub screw, that is designed to enter the indented slot 366,make physical contact with the lower portion 364 of the upper supportarm 114 in order to attach the upper support arm 114 to the control box116. In this embodiment, the screw within passageway 368 is turned viaan alien wrench.

FIG. 3E illustrates a side perspective view of the a mechanicalinterface between the control component 116 and the lower support 118.The control box 116 also includes a protrusion 370 which includes anindented area 372. An upper portion 374 of the lower support 118 isconfigured to receive the protrusion 370 of the control box 116. Thelower support 118 includes a passageway for and a thumb locking screw376 that is designed to enter the indented area 372 of the protrusion370, make physical contact with the protrusion 370 in order to attach tothe lower support 118 to the protrusion 370 and the control box 116.

The design of the control box 116, enables the control box 116 to be acommon component within a plurality of examination light embodiments.For example, various upper support arms 114 a or 114 b, each having adifferent attached lamp head 112 a-112 d, can (electrically andmechanically) attach to the control box 116. As described in associationwith FIG. 5, the electronic circuitry within the control box 116 adaptsto the electrical requirements of the different attached lamp heads 112a-112 d. Each of the lamp heads 112 a-112 d can have a differingarrangement and/or quantity and or type of light emitting diodes and canhave correspondingly different electrical requirements. Likewise,different embodiments of the lower support 118, having differently sizedwheels or no wheels at all, can also attach to the control box 116.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the capacitance sensors 402-406and a capacitance shield 408 that are located inside of the controlcomponent 116. Inside of (below) the outer surface 330 of the controlcomponent 116, one or more capacitance sensors 402-406 are disposed.Behind the capacitance sensors, at a further distance inside of (below)the outer surface 330 of the control box 116, a circuit board (notshown) is disposed, and behind the circuit board a capacitance shield408 is also disposed. The circuit board includes other electroniccomponents residing within the control component (control box) 116.

As shown, an X axis 412, a Y axis 414 and a Z axis 416 are each employedas a directional frame of reference. Each of the axes 412-416 aredirected perpendicular (orthogonal to) the other (remaining) two axes.An X-Y plane (not shown) is defined as being parallel with both of the Xaxis 412 and the Y 414 axis. The X-Y plane is substantially parallel toa planar portion of the outer surface 330 of the control box 116 that islocated where each marking 332-336 is drawn (See FIG. 3). The Z axis 416is perpendicular to the X-Y plane and is substantially perpendicular tothe planar portion(s) of the outer surface 330 where each marking332-336 is drawn.

In this embodiment, each capacitance sensor 402-406 is implemented as anapproximately (1) inch by (1) inch) square copper plate (pad), alsoreferred to as a pad, that is employed to store an electrical charge forthe purpose of sensing capacitance from sources located outside of thecontrol box 116. Each of the pads 402-406 has a planar shape that isoriented substantially parallel to the X-Y plane and orientedsubstantially perpendicular to the Z axis 416.

The capacitance shield 408 also has a planar shape and is employed toshield the capacitance sensors 402-406 from sources of capacitance thatare located behind the sensors and the circuit board. The capacitanceshield 408 can also shield the sensors from sources of electromagneticinterference. Many of the electronic components of the control box 116reside within the circuit board (not shown). In this embodiment, thecapacitance shield 408 has a width of approximately 1.1 inches(Approximately 10% wider than each sensor) with respect to the X axis412 and a height that is approximately 5.0 inches with respect to the Yaxis 414. Like the sensors 402-406, the capacitance shield 408 isoriented substantially parallel to the X-Y plane.

Each marking 332-336 has a center point (not shown) and each sensor402-406 has a center point (not shown). In this embodiment, the centerpoint of each sensor 402-406 is preferably proximate to, if not alignedalong the Z axis 416 with the center point of each associated marking332-336. In other words, a line (not shown) that is parallel to the Zaxis 416 and that intersects the center point of each respective marking332-336, preferably intersects the center point of each respectivesensor 402-406.

In this embodiment, each capacitance sensor 402-406 is located proximateto, approximately 0.5 inches, from its associated marking 332-336. Inother words, the line (not shown) that intersects the center point ofeach respective marking 332-336 and of each respective sensor 402-406,is less than or equal to 0.5 inches in length between the center pointof the marking 332-336 and the center point of the sensor 402-406.

Hence, the first capacitance sensor 402 is associated with and disposedproximate to marking 332, a second capacitance sensor 404 is associatedwith and disposed proximate to marking 334 and a third capacitancesensor 406 is associated with and disposed proximate to marking 336.

In some embodiments, each sensor 402-406 is located adjacent to theouter surface 330 of the control component 116. In this embodiment, eachsensor 402-406 is located from its associated marking 332-336 by adistance approximating a thickness of the outer surface 330. In thisembodiment, the thickness of the outer surface is approximately ¼ of aninch. In other embodiments, the thickness of the outer surface 330 canbe reduced, to between 1/32 and 1/16 of an inch, to enhance capacitancesensitivity of the sensors towards entities located outside of the outersurface 330.

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified conceptual diagram 500 of electronicsresiding within the control component (control box) 116. A substantialportion of the electronics shown, including the sensors 402-406 andexcluding the light emitting diodes (LEDs) 226 a-226 c, are attachedonto a circuit board that is disposed inside of the control box 116.While the capacitance sensors 402-406 are located on a forward side ofthe circuit board, the capacitance shield 408 is located on an oppositeand rearward side of the circuit board, at a farther distance from themarkings 332-336 that are drawn on the outer surface 330 of the controlbox 116 (See FIGS. 3-4).

As shown, a sensor activation detector 520, also referred to herein asthe activation detector 520 or detector 520, includes an electricalconnection 502 a-506 a to each of the capacitance sensors 402-406respectively, and includes an electrical connection 508 a to thecapacitance shield 408. The sensor activation detector 520 also includesan electrical connection 522 to a LED control component 530. The LEDcontrol component 530 resides within a electrical circuit 560 thatincludes the (3) light emitting diodes (LEDs) 226 a-226 c and a currentmeasuring component 550.

A power supply module 510 is configured to supply electrical power inone of two power supply embodiments. In first power supply embodiment,which is employed into the apparatus embodiment shown, a (60) watt powersupply 510 is configured to supply voltage at 15 volts and at a currentof up to a maximum of 4 amperes to support the power, voltage andcurrent requirements of (1-8) LEDs. In this (apparatus) embodiment, thepower supply 510 supplies power, voltage and current requirements of the(3) LEDs 226 a-226 c. In a second power supply embodiment, a (5) wattpower supply 510 supplies voltage at 5 volts and at a current of up to amaximum of 1 ampere to support the power, voltage and currentrequirements of (1) LED (not shown), while the one LED is limited toprojecting light at approximately half intensity (800 milliamps).

In some embodiments, a battery (not shown) is employed as a source ofelectrical power. Optionally, the battery is disposed at or proximate toa lower portion or the lamp body 122 and can further function as aballast for the lamp body 122 to resist tipping of the lamp body.Optionally, the battery can be attached to a universal serial bus (USB)connection. The USB connection is designed to transfer both power anddata between the battery and other electrical components. In this typeof embodiment, the battery can be designed to output data indicating itsstatus and history of use in addition to the battery outputtingelectrical power to other electrical components.

In this embodiment, the implementation of the sensor activation detector520 includes a Cypress (PSoC) CY8C221534 Mixed Signal Array. TheCY8C221534 Mixed Signal Array, also referred to herein as the 534 array,is a programmable component that includes configurable blocks of analogand digital logic. The activation detector 520 is configured to measurea capacitance detected by each capacitance sensor 402-406, duringperiodic intervals of time that are each required to perform acapacitance sampling cycle.

Each measure (sample) of capacitance at a particular time, typicallyrepresents capacitance from one or more different sources. These sourcesof capacitance can be divided into at least two categories, namely asource of capacitance of interest and a source of capacitance that isnot of interest. Capacitance originating from an appendage (finger) of auser that is located proximate to a sensor 402-406 is a capacitance ofinterest, and is also referred to as foreground capacitance. Detectionof foreground capacitance is indicative of a user gesturing to theapparatus 110 as a means of communicating a command to the apparatus110. Capacitance originating from other objects and/or operatingelectrical components is a capacitance that is not of interest, and isalso referred to as background capacitance or noise.

The activation detector 520 includes a processor, memory and softwarestored within its memory, that controls the operation of the processor.The software residing within the detector 520 is configured executeprocedures (algorithms) that are designed for the purpose ofdistinguishing foreground capacitance that is of interest frombackground capacitance that is not of interest. Upon distinguishing acapacitance of interest, for example that capacitance originating froman appendage (finger) of a user that is proximate to a sensor for asufficient period of time, an activation event occurs and is detected inassociation with that sensor 402-406. An activation event is equivalentto a button press event, but instead, this event does not necessarilyinvolve physical contact between the user and the control box 116.

Upon occurrence of an activation event, the sensor activation detector520 communicates one or more commands (signals) to a Light EmittingDiode (LED) control component 530 via electrical circuit communicationspath 522. Each command instructs the Light Emitting Diode (LED) controlcomponent 530 to adjust to and maintain a pre-determined amount ofcurrent (target current value) that passes through the LEDs 226 a-226 cof the lamp head 112 in order to maintain a predetermined amount oflight that is to be projected from the LEDs 226 a-226 c. The amount oflight that is projected from the LEDs 226 a-226 c is a function of theamount of current that passes through the LEDs 226 a-226 c.

In this embodiment, the Light Emitting Diode (LED) control component 530is implemented as a Linear Technology LTC 3783 controller 530. The LTC3783 controller 530, also referred to herein as the LED controller 530or controller 530, is an integrated circuit (IC) that provides pulsewidth modulated (PWM) output for load switching.

The LED controller 520 is configured to control the amount of light thatis emitted from the LEDs 226 a-226 c by controlling the amount ofcurrent passing through the LEDs 226 a-226 c. The LED control component530 controls the amount of electrical current passing through the (3)LEDs by controlling an amount of current that is input into circuit 560.The amount of current passing through the LEDs 226 a-226 c is measured(monitored) via a current measuring component 550 which communicateswith the LED control component 530.

In other embodiments, one “On/Off” command is communicated. In thisembodiment, three commands are communicated from the sensor activationdetector 520 to the LED control component 530. These (3) commands arerespectively named “Off”, “Half Intensity” and “Full Intensity”. Uponreceiving an Off command, associated with activation of sensor 402(marking 332), the LED control component 530 shuts down and performs nofurther control of the current within circuit 560. As a result, currentceases to flow within the circuit 560. Upon receiving an Half Intensitycommand, associated with activation of sensor 404 (marking 334), the LEDcontrol component 530 sets a target current value equal to 0.8 amps (800milliamps). Upon receiving an Full Intensity command, associated withactivation of sensor 406 (marking 336), the LED control component 530sets a target current value equal to about 1.5 amps.

In this embodiment, the electronic connection 522 is electroniccircuitry that includes connections to the P0_5 (LED CONTROL) and P0_7(LED DIM 3) pins of the 534 array, the ILIM pin of the LTC 3783controller 530. The activation detector 520 (534 array) communicates anOff command by applying a digital low voltage signal (0.0 volts) ontoits P0_5 pin, communicates a Half Intensity command by applying adigital high voltage signal onto its P0_7 pin and communicates a FullIntensity command by applying a digital low voltage signal onto its P0_7pin.

In another embodiment that is limited to including (1) sensor, thatsensor is configured to toggle between an Off and an On state. In thisother embodiment, the activation detector 520 (534 array) communicatesan Off command by applying a digital low voltage signal (0.0 volts) ontoits P0_5 pin and communicates an On command by applying a digital highvoltage signal (3.3 volts) onto its P0_5 pin.

Note that for this embodiment, a P1_4 pin (LED DIM 2) and a P1_6 pin(LED DIM 1) are each reserved for implementing future functionality,including current control. Each of the pins of the 534 array that can beused for current control, such as the P0_7, P1_4 and P1_6 pins, isconnected to a separate transistor (not shown) that is configured toturn on when a high voltage signal is applied to its associated pin ofthe 534 array and configured to turn off when a low voltage signal isapplied to its associated pin.

When turned on, each respective transistor allows other current, notsourced from the associated pin of the 534 array, to flow to groundthrough a respective set of resistors that are each arranged to functionas a voltage divider. Each voltage divider causes a different voltage tobe applied to the ILIM pin of the LTC 3783 controller 530. The LTC 3783controller is configured so that an amount of voltage applied to theILIM pin signals to the LTC 3783 controller 530, an amount of current(target current) to be sought and maintained (controlled) by the LTC3783 controller. When the P0_5 pin is turned off, the LED controlcomponent 530 shuts down and the voltage applied to the ILIM pin of theLTC 3783 controller 530 has no effect.

The LED control component 530 includes current control circuitry that isconfigured to control (adjust) and maintain a target amount of currentthat flows through circuit 560. In this embodiment, the current controlcircuitry outputs a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal at approximately260 kilohertz through the GATE pin of the LTC 3783 controller 530. Thissignal is a square wave signal having an ON duty cycle and an OFF dutycycle. During the ON (high voltage) portion of the square wave, a fieldeffect transistor (FET) is turned ON. During the OFF (low voltage)portion of the square wave, the FET is turned OFF.

The FET is configured to intercept and re-direct current flowing out ofan inductor and flowing into (2) rectifier diodes and into the circuit560. When the FET is turned ON during a period of time of the ON portion(duty cycle) of the PWM signal, it intercepts and re-directs the currentthat is output from the inductor, to ground and away from the (2)rectifier diodes and away from the circuit 560. When the FET is turnedOFF during a period of time of the OFF portion (duty cycle) of the PWMsignal, it ceases intercepting and re-directing current output from theinductor to ground, and instead allows the current to again flow throughthe (2) rectifier diodes and into the circuit 560. Down stream of the(2) rectifier diodes, a plurality of capacitors are employed to smoothcurrent and voltage transients caused by the small bursts of currentpassing through the (2) rectifier diodes and into the circuit 560.

When the FET is turned ON, current drains to ground and causes anaccelerated flow of current into the inductor. When the FET is thenturned off, current bursts from the inductor and through the (2)rectifier diodes and into the circuit 560. As a result, the longer theON duty cycle and the shorter OFF duty cycle, the larger the burst ofcurrent that is later output from the inductor into the circuit 560.Conversely, the shorter the ON duty cycle and the longer the OFF dutycycle, the smaller the burst of current that is later output from theinductor into the circuit 560.

The LED control component 530 includes voltage buck/boost circuitry 540that is configured to buck or boost voltage that is input from the powersupply 510 and that is output to the circuit 560. In this embodiment,the power supply 510 supplies electrical power at 15 volts and up to amaximum of 4 amperes. Depending upon the design of a particularembodiment, including the design of a LED configuration, the voltagethat is required to be output from the voltage buck/boost circuitry 540can be of a higher or lower value than the 15 volts supplied by thepower supply 510.

Each LED 226 a-226 c has an input electrode and an output electrode.During normal LED operation, up to 1.5 amps of current flows througheach LED 226 a-226 c. Current flows through each LED 226 a-226 c byflowing into its input electrode and flowing out of its outputelectrode. The normal operation of each LED 226 a-226 c causesapproximately a 4 volt drop between its input electrode and an outputelectrode. Hence electrical power of approximately 12 volts at up to 1.5amps is required to be provided to power (3) LEDs 226 a-226 c that areconnected in series, within circuit 560.

Consequently, in this embodiment that uses a (15) volt power supply 510,the voltage buck/boost circuitry 540 bucks the voltage input from thepower supply 510 to the circuit 560 from 15 volts to approximately 12volts, during normal operation of the (3) LEDs 226 a-226 c. For the (1)LED embodiment (not shown), the voltage buck/boost circuitry 540 bucksthe voltage input from the (15) volt power supply 510 to the circuit 560from 15 volts to approximately (4) volts, during normal operation of the(1) LED (not shown).

The electronics of FIG. 5 are configured to support a variable quantityof LED's ranging from (1-8) LEDs. The circuit 560 requires a voltagedifferential of the number of LEDs multiplied by approximately (4) voltsper LED included within the circuit 560. Hence, a (4) LED configurationrequires approximately (16) volts, a (5) LED configuration requiresapproximately (20) volts, a (6) LED configuration requires approximately(24) volts, a (7) LED configuration requires approximately (28) voltsand an (8) LED configuration requires approximately (32) volts.

Consequently, in this embodiment that employs a (15) volt power supply510, for configurations of (1-3) LEDs, the buck/boost circuitry 540bucks voltage from the (15) volt power supply 510 to that required fornormal operation of the (1-3) LEDs employed within the circuit 560. Forconfigurations of (4-8) LEDs, the buck/boost circuitry 540 boostsvoltage from the (15) volt power supply 510 to that required for the(4-8) LEDs that are employed within the circuit.

In other embodiments, a (5) volt and (5) watt power supply 510 isinstead employed, and the circuit 560 is limited to including (1) LEDand the voltage buck/boost circuitry 540 would to buck the circuit 560voltage from (5) volts to approximately (4) volts, as required for the(1) LED.

The LED control component 530 also interfaces with a current measuringcomponent 550 via an electronic connection 552. A current measuringcomponent 550 is configured to measure an amount of current passingthrough the circuit 560. In this embodiment, the current measuringcomponent 550 includes a resistor that resides in series within thecircuit 560 and that has a predetermined and fixed resistance value. Thedifference in voltage across the resistor, between an input and outputelectrode (terminal) of the resistor, is proportional to the amount ofcurrent passing through the resistor, in accordance with therelationship between voltage, current and resistance (V=IR).

In this embodiment, the electronic connection 552 includes electroniccircuitry that communicates a input voltage at the input electrode andan output voltage at the output electrode of the resistor having a fixedand predetermined resistance value, to the LTC 3783 controller of theLED control component 530. The input voltage and the output voltage ofthe resistor are each respectively applied to the FBN and FBP pins ofthe LTC 3783 controller 530.

The LED control component 530 employs the current measuring component550 as a feedback mechanism for controlling the current that is outputby the current control circuitry of the LED control component 530. Aftera target current is set via receipt of a command from the sensoractivation detector 520, the LED control component 530 operates tomaintain an amount of current passing through the LEDs 226 a-226 c to beequal to the target current.

For example, in one operational scenario, the sensor activation detector520 detects the activation of the sensor 404 and communicates a “HalfIntensity” command to the LED control component 530 via electronicconnection 522. In response, the LED control component 530 sets a targetelectrical current amount equal to approximately (about) 800 milliamps(0.8 amps) and continuously measures the actual current flowing throughthe circuit 560 via the current measuring component 550. If at the timeof the communication of the “Half Intensity” command, the actual currentflowing through circuit 560 is equal to 0.8 amps, no immediate action isperformed by the LED control component 530.

If at the time of the communication of the “Half Intensity” command, theactual current flowing through the circuit 560 is lower than 0.8 amps,the LED control component 530 sends a signal to the current controlcircuitry to raise the actual amount of current flowing in the circuit560. The LED control component 530 re-measures the actual current viathe current measuring component 550 and if necessary, adjusts the PWMsignal it is applying to the GATE pin of the LTC 3783 controller.

To raise current, the PWM ON duty cycle portion of the square wavesignal is lengthened and the PWM OFF duty cycle portion of the squarewave signal is reduced. This signal modification increases the amount ofcurrent directed to the inductor and raises the amount of currentflowing into the (2) rectifier diodes and into the circuit 560, duringthe time of each square wave cycle. These current measuring and currentadjustment actions are repeated in an iterative fashion until the actualcurrent is equal to the target current value of 0.8 amps.

If at the time of the communication of the “Half Intensity” command, theactual current flowing through the circuit 560 is higher than 0.8 amps,the LED control component 530 sends a signal to the current controlcircuitry to lower the actual amount of current flowing in the circuit560. The LED control component 530 re-measures the actual current viathe current measuring component 550 and if necessary, adjusts the PWMsignal it is applying to the GATE pin of the LTC 3783 controller.

To lower current, the PWM OFF duty cycle portion of the square wavesignal is expanded in length over time and the PWM ON duty cycle portionof the square wave signal is reduced in length over time. This signalmodification reduces the amount of current directed to the inductor andlowers the amount of current flowing into the (2) rectifier diodes andinto the circuit 560, during the time of each square wave cycle. Thesecurrent measuring and current adjustment actions are repeated in aniterative fashion until the actual current is equal to the targetcurrent value of 0.8 amps.

The sensitivity of the capacitance sensors 402-406 is adjusted via aresistor within circuitry connected to the Cypress 534 array P0_1 andP1_5 pins. In this embodiment, this circuitry includes a resistor thathas a resistance value of approximately 2 Kohms. In other embodiments,difference resistance values can be employed to effect a different levelof sensitivity of the capacitance sensors 402-406.

FIGS. 6A-6C each illustrate a set of (3) capacitance count values thatare obtained in association with each of the (3) capacitance sensors402-406 during a cycle. A capacitance that is obtained in associationwith each sensor 402-406 during a cycle, is represented by theactivation detector 520 in terms of a numerical value, also referred toas a capacitance count value or a count value. A capacitance count valuethat is obtained (sampled) in association with a sensor 402-406 ismonotonically related to a capacitance detected via that sensor 402-406.In other words, the higher the capacitance count value that is obtained(sampled) by the activation detector 520 in association with a sensor402-406, the higher the capacitance that is detected via that sensor402-406.

The software residing within the detector 520 is configured fordetecting a presence of capacitance, such as capacitance from a fingerof the user that is proximate to a sensor 402-406, representing(constituting) an activation event. To detect such an activation event,the activation detector 520 obtains a capacitance count value inassociation with each sensor 402-406 during each cycle.

In this embodiment, a cycle is performed within a 30-35 millisecondperiod of time and a capacitance count value is sampled (obtained) foreach sensor 402-406 within that period of time. Hence, the activationdetector 520 obtains about 30 capacitance count samples (count values)per sensor 402-406 per second. Each capacitance count value that isobtained (sampled) by the activation detector 520 is stored into memoryand further processed by the activation detector 520. The capacitancecount value is stored in a 15 bit value and a maximum capacitance countvalue is equal to a value of about 32,767.

FIG. 6A is a bar chart graph representing a first set of (3) capacitancecount values respectively obtained for sensors 402-406 during a firstcycle (sample) occurring during a first periodic time interval. Asshown, a capacitance count value that is obtained for sensor 402 isequal to approximately 17200, a capacitance count value that is obtainedfor sensor 404 is equal to approximately 20,800 and a capacitance countvalue that is obtained for sensor 406 is equal to approximately 18500.The relative amount of capacitance detected is the highest for sensor404 and the lowest for sensor 402.

FIG. 6B is a bar chart graph representing a second sample of (3)capacitance count values obtained for sensors 402-406 during a secondcycle (sample) occurring during a second periodic time interval. Asshown, a capacitance value that is obtained for sensor 402 is equal toapproximately 19500, a capacitance value that is obtained for sensor 404is equal to approximately 17,500 and a capacitance value that isobtained for sensor 406 is equal to approximately 20,100. The relativeamount of capacitance detected is the highest for sensor 406 and thelowest for sensor 404.

FIG. 6C is a bar chart graph representing a third sample of (3)capacitance count values obtained for sensors 402-406 during a thirdcycle occurring during a third periodic time interval. As shown, acapacitance value that is obtained for sensor 402 is equal toapproximately 19700, a capacitance value that is obtained for sensor 404is equal to approximately 18,500 and a capacitance value that isobtained for sensor 406 is equal to approximately 17,300. The relativeamount of capacitance detected is the highest for sensor 402 and thelowest for sensor 406.

Typically, each obtained capacitance count value represents capacitancethat includes a substantial amount of capacitance that is not ofinterest. In many circumstances, a capacitance count value entirelyrepresents capacitance that is not of interest. In some circumstances,that capacitance includes some amount of capacitance that is ofinterest, possibly representing an activation event.

Capacitance that originates from a finger of the user that is locatedproximate to a sensor 402-406, is classified as foreground capacitance,and is of interest. Capacitance that is from other objects and/oroperating electrical components, is classified as background capacitance(noise) and is not of interest.

For example, with respect to the hardware configuration of the currentembodiment, an typical amount of background capacitance would registerin the range of 17,000-23,000 capacitance counts. A typical foregroundcapacitance of a finger touching the marking 332-336 associated with asensor would typically register (add) approximately 300 capacitancecounts to the background capacitance. A finger that is located within(1) inch of the marking 332-336 would typically register (add) (100)capacitance counts. A finger that is located approximately (2) inchesaway from the marking 332-336 would typically register (add) (20)capacitance counts. As a result, searching through raw capacitancemeasurements over time to separate foreground capacitance frombackground capacitance from the raw that is measured by the sensors402-406 can be like searching for a needle in a hay stack.

Capacitance, whether it is classified as background or foregroundcapacitance, that is detected by each sensor 402-406 can vary for eachsensor 402-406 over time and can vary between sensors 402-406 at aparticular time. Furthermore, a relative amount of capacitance that isdetected by each sensor 402-406 at a particular time, meaning an amountof capacitance that is detected by a sensor 402-406 relative to anamount of capacitance detected by other sensors 402-406 at thatparticular time, can vary over time. For example, because the apparatus110 is portable, movement of the apparatus 110 can cause capacitancedetected by each sensor 402-406, and the relative amount of capacitancedetected by each sensor, to vary by location of the apparatus 110 duringmovement of the apparatus 110 over time. For example, the backgroundcapacitance count values raise when the apparatus 110 becomes proximateto a wall, where proximity to a wall can cause a substantial amount ofbackground capacitance to be detected by the sensors 402-406. Movementof other equipment, within the environment employing the examinationlight, such as within a health care environment, can also havesubstantial and varied effects upon background capacitance count valuesdetected by each of the sensors 402-406.

FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified and conceptual diagram of the operationof software that executes within the sensor activation detector 520. Theactivation detector 520 is configured to process and interpret thecapacitance values over time in order to detect a presence ofcapacitance that represents an activation event. Upon power on andinitialization of the activation detector 520, a first (capacitancesampling) cycle is performed that is referred to as cycle number (1) orcycle (1), the next cycle performed is cycle (2) etc.

As shown, an Initiate Cycle step 710 initiates a cycle. This stepperforms various and miscellaneous initial operations apart fromoperations specifically shown and described in this figure. During acycle, a capacitance count is obtained for each sensor 402-406. Eachcapacitance count obtained can represent capacitance from background(not of interest) and/or foreground (of interest) sources ofcapacitance. At step 712, a short term moving average (STMA) is computedfor each and every sensor 402-406. At step 714 and a long term movingaverage (LTMA) is computed for each and every (all) sensor 402-406. TheSTMA and the LTMA are computed based upon a capacitance count obtainedduring each cycle, including the current cycle and prior cycles.

In this embodiment, the STMA is computed to be equal to the averagecapacitance count obtained from (8) consecutive cycles. The STMA has acomputation frequency equal to every (1) cycles, meaning that it iscomputed in each and every cycle. During each cycle, the consecutive (8)capacitance count values (samples) for each sensor 402-406 are averagedinto one STMA value, that is computed for that cycle, for each and everyrespective sensor 402-406. Hence, the STMA is computed to equal theaverage of the capacitance count obtained from the current cycle and ofthe capacitance count values obtained from (7) other prior andconsecutive cycles, for each and every respective sensor 402-406.

For example, in cycle number (8), the short term moving average (STMA)is equal to the average capacitance count obtained from the current andprior (7) cycles, specifically cycles (1) through (8), for eachrespective sensor 402-406. In cycle number (9), the short term movingaverage is equal to the average capacitance count obtained from thecycles (2) through (9). In cycle (10), the short term moving average isequal to the average capacitance count obtained from the cycles (3)through (10).

A long term moving average (LTMA) is not necessarily computed each andevery cycle, but is instead periodically computed within certain cycles.In this embodiment, the LTMA is computed during every (5th) cycle.Hence, the LTMA has a computation frequency of every (5) cycles. Tocompute the LTMA, a short term moving average that is computed for every(5th) cycle is stored and averaged with the short term moving averagecomputed for cycles that were (5), (10), (15), (20), (25), (30), (35)and (40), cycles prior to the current cycle, yielding a long termaverage that is computed for and during the current cycle, for eachrespective sensor 402-406. For example, in cycle number (80), the longterm moving average (LTMA) is equal to the average of the short termaverage (STMA) that was computed in cycle numbers (80), (75), (70),(65), (60), (55), (50) and (45). In cycle number (85), the long termmoving average (LTMA) is equal to the average of the short term average(STMA) that was computed in cycle numbers (85), (80), (75), (70), (65),(60), (55) and (50).

There are other possible means of calculating a LTMA. In the currentembodiment the LTMA is not calculated every cycle so that during cyclenumbers (86), (87), (88), and (89) the LTMA remains what it wascalculated to be during cycle number (85). This reduces thecomputational resources needed without substantially degrading theusefulness of the LTMA. Other embodiments may compute the LTMA everycycle using values of the STMA that were stored during each of thepreceding cycles extending back some period of time. In such a case theLTMA calculated during cycle number (86) would equal to the average ofthe STMA that was computed in cycle numbers (86), (81), (76), (71),(66), (61), (56), and (51).

In step 716, during each cycle, a moving average difference value (MADV)is computed for each and every sensor 402-406. A moving averagedifference value (MADV), is equal to a difference between the value ofthe currently computed STMA and the value of the currently computedLTMA, for each respective sensor 402-406, during each cycle. Computingan MADV is useful as a preliminary step for detecting an activationevent, for example caused by an appendage (finger) of a user that isproximate to a sensor 402-406 for a sufficient period of time. Via thecomputation of an MADV for each sensor 402-406, the activation detector520 monitors a mathematical relationship between the STMA and the LTMAfor each sensor 402-406, during each cycle, over time.

In step 720, an MADV that was computed for each sensor 402-406 iscompared against a threshold value associated with each sensor 402-406.If for a particular sensor 402-406, a computed current MADV is positive,meaning that the current STMA is greater than the current LTMA for thatsensor 402-406, and if the current MADV exceeds a pre-determinedthreshold value associated with that sensor 402-406, also referred to asan initial threshold value, then that sensor 402-406, is identified(flagged) as a candidate for receiving an associated activation event.

Because the sensors 402-406 each have a relative sensitivity fordetecting capacitance, based upon their location relative to each other,relative to other sources of background capacitance and relative to asource of foreground capacitance, such as the anatomy of the human handwhen attempting to activate a sensor 402-406, the threshold value foreach sensor 402-406 is not necessarily equal in value for each and everysensor 402-406, and instead is a value that can be customized (unique)to each sensor 402-406.

For example, in this embodiment, the initial threshold value for sensor406 is equal to 15 capacitance counts, the initial threshold value forsensor 404 is equal to 23 capacitance counts and the initial thresholdvalue for sensor 402 is equal to 20 capacitance counts.

If in step 720, if at least one sensor 402-406 is identified (flagged)as an activation candidate sensor, the MADV for the activation candidatesensor is further compared against the MADV computed for each of theother sensors 402-406, in step 730. Else if in step 720, no sensor isidentified (flagged) as an activation candidate sensor, then thesoftware execution transitions to step 770 (Optionally Adjust LTMACompute Frequency and/or Reset LTMA Values) which is described infurther detail near the end of the description of FIG. 7.

Referring to step 730, in some circumstances, one or more of the sensors402-406 may also have an associated MADV that each exceed an associatedinitial threshold associated with that respective sensor 402-406 duringthe current cycle. The MADV for each sensor that has a MADV above itsinitial threshold is compared to the MADV of the other sensors in aneffort to discriminate between background and foreground capacitancesources and to reject noise. The differences between MADVs provideinformation not obtained by examining each MADV independently. Bycomparing the differences in MADVs it is determined if an activationcandidate sensor is detecting a capacitance source of the correct size,shape, and orientation to warrant a partial activation event. If theMADV of one activation candidate sensor compares favorably to the MADVcomputed for each of the other sensors 402-406, then the activationcandidate sensor is further identified (flagged) as receiving a partialactivation event count during this current cycle, and is furtheridentified (flagged) as a lead activation candidate sensor. To comparefavorably relative to the other (2) sensors 402-406, the MADV of theactivation candidate sensor falls within an acceptable range ofdifference (AROD) relative to the MADV of the other two sensors 402-406.

The AROD value represents the extent that a capacitance source shouldinteract with the sensors adjacent to the sensor that it is closest too.When a capacitance sources moves toward a sensor it also may, to alesser degree, move closer to other sensors. The size and shape of thecapacitance source affects the rise in the MADVs of the adjacent sensorsrelative to the rise of the MADV of the sensor closest to thecapacitance source. The AROD values allow discriminating againstcapacitance sources that do not correctly interact with adjacentsensors.

In this embodiment, the AROD values were determined through empiricaltesting to accept a human hand with a finger extended. For example, ifthe activation candidate sensor is sensor 406, the acceptable range ofdifference (AROD) between the MADV of sensor 406 and the MADV of sensor404, is −4 capacitance counts and higher. In other words, if the MADV ofsensor 406 is greater than the MADV of sensor 404 minus 4 capacitancecounts, then the sensor 406 compares favorably to sensor 404. Theacceptable range of difference (AROD) between the MADV of sensor 406 andthe MADV of sensor 402, is 0 and higher. In other words, if the MADV ofsensor 406 is greater than or equal to the MADV of sensor 402, thensensor 406 compares favorably to sensor 404.

These comparisons check that the activation candidate sensors MADV hasincreased to an extent large enough relative to the adjacent sensors.Other embodiments may also check that the MADV has not increased by toomuch relative to the adjacent sensors. An activation candidate sensormust have a MADV that when compared to the MADV of other sensors fallswithin the AROD that has been set for each of the comparisons.

Like the initial threshold value for each sensor 402-406, the ARODassociated with each sensor 402-406 may not be the same for each sensor402-406. Because the sensors 402-406 each have a relative sensitivityfor detecting capacitance, based upon their location relative to eachother, relative to other sources of background capacitance and relativeto a source of foreground capacitance, such as the anatomy of the humanhand when attempting to activate a sensor 402-406, the AROD for eachsensor 402-406 is not necessarily the same (equal) for each and everysensor 402-406, and instead can be customized (unique) to each sensor402-406.

In addition to independently choosing the AROD for each sensor thecomparison of MADVs may contain multiplying coefficients or othervariations to counteract dynamic differences in the sensitivity betweenthe sensors. The differences in sensitivity, caused by printed circuitboard layout, component placement, the shape of the enclosure, and otherunknown parameters, can be determined through testing and consideredduring comparison of the MADVs.

In step 740, if the MADV of a sensor, such as sensor 406, compares mostfavorably relative to the MADV that is computed for the other sensors402-404, then that activation candidate sensor 406 is further identified(flagged) as receiving (being assigned) a partial activation event countduring this cycle and is further identified (flagged) as a leadactivation candidate sensor, and the software execution transitions tostep 750. Else if no sensor 402-406 compares most favorably relative tothe MADV that is computed for the other (2) sensors 402-406, then nosensor 402-406 is flagged as receiving (being assigned) a partialactivation event count during this cycle and no sensor 402-406 isfurther identified (flagged) as a lead activation candidate sensor andthe software execution transitions to step 770 (Optionally Adjust LTMACompute Frequency and/or Reset LTMA Values) which is described infurther detail near the end of the description of this figure.

In step 750, a partial activation event count is incremented for eachconsecutive cycle that one same lead activation candidate sensor isidentified (flagged) as receiving a partial activation event count. Ifin this cycle, a lead activation candidate sensor receives a partialactivation event count during a pre-determined number of consecutivecycles, then a full activation event is identified (flagged) andassigned to (associated with) the lead activation candidate sensor andsoftware transitions to step 760. In this embodiment, the pre-determinednumber of consecutive cycles equals (10) consecutive cycles. Thepre-determined number of consecutive cycles can be set to a higher orlower value in other embodiments. Else if during this cycle, no partialactivation event is received for the lead activation candidate of theprior cycle, any prior consecutive series of prior partial activationevent counts for the lead activation candidate of the prior cycle isthereby terminated and no full activation event is identified (flagged)during this cycle.

In step 760, upon identification (detection) of a full activation eventin response to detecting (10) consecutive partial activation events, theuser selection (effectively a button press of the lead activationcandidate sensor) is detected by the software and appropriate action istaken associated with the lead activation candidate sensor 402-406. Inthis embodiment, upon detecting a full activation event, partialactivation events are not counted and detection of another fullactivation event is not initiated during the next (15) cycles. Theperiod for counting partial activation events is also referred to as thepartial activation period.

In this embodiment, one of three commands can be communicated from thesensor activation detector 520 to the LED control component 530. If thelead activation candidate sensor is sensor 406, then a Full Intensitycommand is communicated to the LED control component 530. If the leadactivation candidate sensor is sensor 404, then a Half Intensity commandis communicated to the LED control component 530. If the lead activationcandidate sensor is sensor 402, then an Off command is communicated tothe LED control component 530. The software execution transitions tostep 770 (Optionally Adjust LTMA Compute Frequency and/or Reset LTMAValues) described below.

In step 770, parameters associated the computation of the LTMA valuesfor each sensor 402-406 are optionally adjusted. If the LTMA is greaterthan the STMA for each sensor 402-406 for a predetermined consecutivenumber of cycles, then the computation frequency of the LTMA is adjustedto compute the LTMA more frequently. In this embodiment, the computationfrequency is adjusted from being computed in every (5) cycles to every(1) cycle. This parameter change enables the lower STMA to have a fasteracting influence upon the higher LTMA in order to lower the LTMA in lesstime, over time.

In step 770, upon transitioning from step 760, a detection of a fullactivation event in this cycle, the current LTMA value for each sensor402-406 is reset to another value, that could be lower or higher thanthe current LTMA value, based upon the current STMA value for eachsensor 402-406. This reset operation sets an initial (post fullactivation event) LTMA value for each sensor to better prepare thesoftware for detecting the next partial and/or full activation eventassociated with that sensor.

Referring back to step 720, during a period of time including a seriesof (10) consecutive cycles where a partial activation count is beingtallied (counted) in step 750, the value of the LTMA, which is computedbased upon the value of the STMA for each cycle, has a tendency to raisetowards the value of the STMA, because the STMA is being raised inresponse to the presence of foreground capacitance that is beingdetected as one or more partial activation events. If the thresholdvalue were a fixed constant through out the (10) consecutive cycles,there is a risk that the MADV of the first candidate sensor 402 mightnot exceed its threshold value during a cycle occurring within the (10)consecutive cycles following the assignment of the first partialactivation event, even though a finger of the user remains stationaryand proximate to the lead activation candidate sensor.

The above described risk of using a constant threshold value applieswhen a finger of the user remains stationary at a fixed location overthe (10) consecutive cycles. In a variation of this scenario, this typeof risk is increased when the user is intending to activate the sensorbut where the finger of the user moves slightly away from the sensorduring the (10) consecutive cycles. This type of slight finger motioncan cause an intermittent, but not a sufficiently consecutive, set ofone or more partial activation events, that cause a false negativedetection of an full activation event (foreground capacitance) that wasintended by the user.

To address the above describe scenario risks, upon a first partialactivation event count being assigned to a sensor 402-406, the MADVthreshold value for that sensor is lowered in value during thedetermination of each consecutive partial activation event count forthat sensor during at most, the series of (10) consecutive cyclesfollowing the assignment of the first partial activation event, or untila partial activation event is not assigned during a cycle for thatsensor 402-406 during the series of (10) consecutive cycles followingthe assignment of the first partial activation event.

To lower an MADV threshold, each threshold value is reduced bysubtracting a threshold reducing value (TRV) during at least some of the(9) consecutive cycles that follow the first partial activation eventcycle. In this embodiment, the threshold reducing value is constant, hasa value of (6) capacitance counts, and is subtracted during each of the(10) consecutive cycles. In other embodiments, the threshold reducingvalue is dynamic and increases in value over time during the (10)consecutive cycles, following the assignment of the first partialactivation event.

Referring back to step 760, upon detection of a full activation event,the amount of background (noise) capacitance that is detectable by thesensors 402-406 is subject to substantially change upon taking theappropriate action in response to that event. For example, whentransitioning from the OFF to the Half Intensity or the Full Intensitystates of operation, electrical activity on the circuit board and anamount of sensor detectable background capacitance (noise) raisessubstantially. Conversely, when transitioning from the Full Intensity toHalf Intensity or the OFF state of operation, electrical activity on thecircuit board and an amount of sensor detectable background capacitance(noise) lowers substantially.

The above described substantial raise of background noise creates a riskof a false positive detection of a sensor activation event. The abovedescribed substantial lowering of background noise creates a risk of afalse negative detection of a sensor activation event. To, address thisrisk, in response to detection of a full activation event, the long termmoving average (LTMA) value is reset to a value that is dependent(based) upon the short term moving average (STMA) value.

In this embodiment, which employs the (3) LEDs 226 a-226 c, the LTMA isset to the STMA in response to detection of a full activation event,with no further adjustments. In another embodiment, employing (1) LEDthat is located where marking 332 is shown (See FIG. 3), the LTMA is setto the STMA plus post activation correction value (PACV) equal to (16)capacitance counts.

The above values, including the moving average difference value (MADV)threshold, the acceptable range of difference (AROD), the thresholdreducing value (TRV), and the post activation correction value (PACV)for each sensor 402-406 can be determined and adjusted through empiricaltesting (trial and error) of a particular hardware configuration. Eachhardware configuration has is own particular design characteristics andoperating idiosyncrasies. The values specified for this embodiment weredetermined in an empirical (trial and error) fashion for a particularhardware design configuration, and are subject to be further adjusted(optimized/tuned) over time in pursuit of better (more reliable) testresults. Better (more reliable) test results raise the likelihood oftrue positives and true negatives and lower the likelihood of falsepositives and false negatives, with respect to the detection of anoccurrence of a user intended sensor activation event, such as the userpositioning a finger sufficiently proximate to a sensor 402-406.

To summarize, the invention provides for a device having a controlcomponent including an outer surface. The control component including atleast one electrical capacitance sensor that is located behind the outersurface and wherein control of the device is exercised by positioning ahuman appendage within proximity of the electrical capacitance sensorwithout requiring the appendage to make physical contact with said outersurface of said control component. Optionally, the outer surfaceincludes no moving parts, excludes surface pockets and is configured toform a barrier between inner portions of said control component andcontamination that could be deposited upon said control component viaphysical contact between a user and said control component. In someembodiments, the proximity is one inch or less from the sensor. In otherembodiments, the proximity is 0.75 inches or less from the outersurface. In other embodiments, the proximity is two inches or less fromthe sensor.

In some embodiments, the device includes a first electrical capacitancesensor that is configured to be toggled to transition operation of saiddevice to between and ON and an OFF state. In some embodiments, thedevice includes digital logic that is configured to discriminate betweenbackground and foreground capacitance using procedures that compute atleast one moving average of an amount of capacitance that is detectedover time by a electrical capacitance sensor.

The invention also provides for a system and method of making a deviceincluding the steps of providing a control component including an outersurface. The control component also including at least one electricalcapacitance sensor that is located behind the outer surface and whereincontrol of the device is exercised by positioning a human appendagewithin proximity of the electrical capacitance sensor without requiringthe appendage to make physical contact with said outer surface of saidcontrol component. Optionally, the outer surface includes no movingparts, excludes surface pockets and is configured to form a barrierbetween inner portions of said control component and contamination thatcould be deposited upon said control component via physical contactbetween a user and said control component.

The invention also provides for an examination lamp apparatus that iscontrolled without requiring physical contact from a user. The apparatusincludes a lamp head that is configured to project light, a lamp bodythat is configured to electrically attach to and physically support thelamp head, a lamp control component that includes an outer surface andthat is configured to enable a user to control an amount of light thatis projected from the lamp head without requiring physical contactbetween the user and the lamp control component. The control componentincludes at least one electrical capacitance sensor located behind theouter surface and where the control is exercised by positioning a humanappendage within near proximity of the electrical capacitance sensorwithout the appendage making physical contact with the outer surface ofthe control component. In some embodiments, the proximity is one inch orless. In other embodiments, the proximity is 0.75 inches or less. Inother embodiments, the proximity is two inches or less.

In some embodiments, the outer surface of the lamp control componentincludes no moving parts, excludes surface pockets and is configured toform a barrier between inner portions of the lamp control component andcontamination that could be deposited upon the lamp control componentvia physical contact between a user and the lamp control component. Atleast one electrical capacitance sensor is disposed inside of andproximate to a portion of the outer surface of the lamp controlcomponent, and wherein the electrical capacitance sensor is furtherconfigured to detect a capacitance of an appendage of a user beingplaced in physical contact with or within near proximity of, the portionof the outer surface of the lamp control component.

In some embodiments, the examination lamp apparatus includes a variablequantity one or more light emitting diodes. Optionally, the examinationlamp apparatus includes an LED control component that is configured toadapt to and supply an amount of electrical power, voltage and currentto the variable quantity of light emitting diodes, in accordance withelectrical power requirements of the variable quantity of light emittingdiodes. Optionally, the LED control component is further configured tosupply an amount of electrical power, voltage and current to thevariable quantity of light emitting diodes in accordance with the amountof light controlled by the user.

In some embodiments, the lamp body is configured to electrically attachto one of a plurality of lamp heads that each include a uniquearrangement and quantity of light emitting diodes, and where the LEDcontrol component is configured to adapt to and supply an amount ofelectrical power, voltage and current to the one of the plurality oflamp heads upon electrical attachment between the lamp body and the oneof the plurality of lamp heads.

In some embodiments, the lamp head power supply component is suppliedelectrical power from a battery. Optionally, the battery is furtheremployed as a ballast for the examination light apparatus. Optionally,the battery is configured to be attached to a universal serial bus sothat status and use history of the battery can be obtained by othercomponents within the examination light apparatus. In some embodiments,the examination lamp apparatus includes a first electrical capacitancesensor that is configured to be toggled to transition operation of theapparatus to between and ON and an OFF state. In some embodiments, asecond electrical capacitance sensor that is configured to controlprojection of light to a half intensity and including a thirdcapacitance sensor that is configured to control projection of light toa full intensity.

In some embodiments, the examination light apparatus includes digitallogic that is configured to discriminate between background andforeground capacitance using procedures that compute at least one movingaverage of an amount of capacitance that is detected over time by aelectrical capacitance sensor.

The invention also provides for a method of making an examination lampapparatus that is controlled without requiring physical contact from auser, including the steps of providing a lamp head that is configured toproject light, a lamp body that is configured to electrically attach toand physically support the lamp head, a lamp control component thatincludes an outer surface and that is configured to enable a user tocontrol an amount of light that is projected from the lamp head withoutrequiring physical contact between the user and the lamp controlcomponent. The control component includes at least one electricalcapacitance sensor located behind the outer surface and where thecontrol is exercised by positioning a human appendage within nearproximity of the electrical capacitance sensor without the appendagemaking physical contact with the outer surface of the control component.

In some embodiments, the examination light apparatus includes a lightemitting diode that emits light in a direction along an axis, aprojector lens that is disposed along the axis and that is configuredfor receiving and directing the light along the axis, a molded injectorlens disposed along the axis and configured for directing the light fromthe light emitting diode towards the projector lens along the axis, aholographic diffuser disposed along the axis and configured fordirecting the light towards the projector lens along the axis and a coneconcentrator that is configured for receiving the light from the moldedinjector lens and for concentrating and directing the light towards theholographic diffuser. The invention also provides for a method formaking the above described apparatus.

While the present invention has been explained with reference to thestructure disclosed herein, it is not confined to the details set forthand this invention is intended to cover any modifications and changes asmay come within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device that is controlled without requiringphysical contact from a user, including: an operational device; acontrol component separated from the operational device by a supportmember, wherein the control component is disposed on a first portion ofthe support member that supports the control component and theoperational device is disposed on a second portion of the support memberseparated from the first portion thereof, the control componentincluding an outer surface; said control component further including atleast one electrical capacitance sensor that is located behind saidouter surface and disposed on the first portion of the support memberand wherein control of said operational device is exercised bypositioning a human appendage within proximity of said electricalcapacitance sensor without requiring said appendage to make physicalcontact with said outer surface of said control component; and whereinsaid outer surface of said control component includes no moving parts,excludes surface pockets and is configured to form a barrier betweeninner portions of said control component and contamination that could bedeposited upon said control component via physical contact between auser and said control component, and wherein the control componentdiscriminates between background and foreground capacitance usingprocedures that compute at least one moving average of an amount ofcapacitance that is detected over time by an electrical capacitancesensor.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said proximity is a distance ofwithin 2 inches of said electrical capacitance sensor.
 3. The device ofclaim 1 including a first electrical capacitance sensor that isconfigured to be toggled to transition operation of said device tobetween an ON and an OFF state.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein thedevice is a lamp head.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the lamp headis attached to a distal end of a support member and the controlcomponent is attached or integral to an intermediate portion of thesupport member.
 6. A device that is controlled without requiringphysical contact from a user, including: an operational device; acontrol component separately disposed in relation to the operationaldevice, wherein the control component is disposed on a support memberthat supports the control component, the control component including anouter surface; said control component further including at least oneelectrical capacitance sensor that is located behind said outer surfaceand wherein control of said operational device is exercised bypositioning a human appendage within proximity of the electricalcapacitance sensor without requiring the appendage to make physicalcontact with the outer surface of the control component; and wherein thecontrol component discriminates between background and foregroundcapacitance using procedures that compute at least one moving average ofan amount of capacitance that is detected over time by an electricalcapacitance sensor.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the outer surfaceof the control component includes no moving parts, excludes surfacepockets and is configured to form a barrier between inner portions ofsaid control component and contamination that could be deposited uponsaid control component via physical contact between a user and saidcontrol component.
 8. The device of claim 6, wherein the device is alamp head.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the lamp head is attachedto a distal end of a support member and the control component isattached or integral to an intermediate portion of the support member.